Page 9 of No Way Forward

“Stay still, Zaid. You have to rest. The doctor said you can’t get up for at least a week.”

“Not happening.”

She tried to hold him down, but even hurt, Zaid was a force to be reckoned with. She might as well try pushing a boulder. His skin felt warm and taut beneath her touch. The hospital gown between them was no barrier. Her entire body heated up.

“You’re so stubborn.”

“I can’t protect you in this bed.”

“Fine. Then I’ll stay here with you. How’s that?”

She thought he would say no.

“Okay.”

The room stretched out in silence around them. In the hall, someone called over the loud speaker. Novette couldn’t figure out what they said. She sat there on the side of Zaid’s bed.

He wanted her to stay close. It wasn’t personal. His job was to protect her, to bring her home safely to her father’s mansion. That mission hadn’t been carried out yet.

“I remember when I first started teaching you,” he said.

“Ugh, don’t bring up that mess.”

“You thought you knew all there was to know after one session.”

“I was fifteen.”

He chuckled. “Teenagers think they know everything.”

“Hey, I gave you a black eye, didn’t I?”

She thought of the sparring match they had. He put her on the mat a dozen times, sweeping her legs out from under her. Each time, she grew angrier and more determined to get him back.

“Wait, don’t tell me you let me get that one punch in.”

He didn’t deny it.

“Dang it, Zaid.”

“It’s fine. I had to boost your confidence a little or you might not have practiced.”

“Whatever.”

He tried to shift positions on the bed and paled. She rushed to help, but she couldn’t move the big man. Her heartbeat raced as she touched his arm. They looked into each other’s eyes. She thought she saw pain but looked again and saw nothing she could read.

“You’re all grown up now,” he said. “I didn’t know if I would see you again. You’ve become a woman.”

“Please. I was a woman before I left. You just didn’t notice.” She kept her tone light. “But I see your point. There is a difference between twenty-one and twenty-six.”

He touched her cheek, and to her surprise a deep sigh escaped her. She was on the verge of tears before she caught herself. The relief that flooded her system told her there’d been tension she didn’t know she was holding onto.

“The danger is past.”

She nodded because she wasn’t sure if the emotion would thicken her voice. A soft knock on the door took her attention from him, and a nurse stuck her head in the door. “Ms. Kagen, there’s someone asking for you.”

She stood. “My dad?”

“Um, no, it’s a woman. She said her name is Sheila Grace.”

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